Hmm, where do I begin? The entire vacation was full of pleasant and a few not-so-pleasant experiences (which I shall not mention here). It began with a sojourn to Calcutta which was going to be our hub for Port Blair. A couple of days there and we would be off to the Andamans. Well, Calcutta proved to be HOT!!! A sizzling 38 degrees and there would be an uncomfortably warm breeze coming in through the windows of the old crock Amby taxis. But, it was something different as compared to Bombay.
The flight to Port Blair certainly cannot be called uneventful. I don't mean that there were any close calls or any other such thing inflight. I mean that the first view of the Andamans was such that it shall forever remain etched in my memory. No amount of description from me is going to do justice to that sight. It would be better if you saw the pics for yourself. Link to these pics will be at the end of this post.
Port Blair is like any other British town. Small, quaint houses dotting the well maintained roads which curve steeply around the stunted hills, glimpses of the brilliantly blue sea, small and crowded marketplaces which sell all sorts of knick-knacks, half-naked foreigners moving about on rented two-wheelers. The weather was just like Bombay. The only thing that struck me was that the air was extremely clean, people followed traffic rules religiously and the service industry there was interested in just that - service. No expectations of favours or tips. You pay me the fixed rate, I will do what I promised. As simple as that.
The main tourist attraction of Port Blair was the Cellular Jail, notorious as "Kaala Paani". The walls of this infamous jail, which incarcerated many of the freedom fighters, still look pretty imposing. Originally, there were seven arms radiating out of a central watch tower. Now, only 3 of these arms still exist. One look at the cells and you realise from the outset that all the gruesome incidents that we have read about in the history books must have been true. A peek at the oil extraction machine and the gallows only serve to strengthen this conviction. A recently built museum serves to dispel all remaining doubts one may have about the brutality and hard-heartedness the British displayed while dealing with the prisoners. Quite a bit of information is also available there about Veer Savarkar, the jail's most famous prisoner.
The other sites around Port Blair are pretty much like the ones you will find near any coastal tourist spot, only much cleaner and greener. However, what one could call a paradise on earth...well, at least in India, is Havelock Island. This place is home to Radhanagar beach, Asia's best beach according to Time magazine. Turquoise blue and emerald green waters, pristine white sand and rides on tusker elephants are the highlights of this place. There are so few people on this beach that you almost get the feeling that you own it!!! The only things strewn on the beach are dead branches, fallen coconuts and sleeping foreigners!!! Anyone with marriage on their minds may note that this is just about the perfect place for a honeymoon!!! Also worth a mention are the coconuts sold here. Enormous green fellows with sweeeeet water which never seems to get over. All this for only 10 bucks, and that too at a tourist spot. Compare that with Bombay where I get sickly looking brown coconuts for 14 bucks each. Havelock Island also has other beaches like Elephanta beach where one can do snorkeling for viewing coral. The water here shows shades of brown, green and deep blue, all at the same time, depending upon the depth of the water.
The tour of the Andamans certainly convinced me that this is truly the last place on earth that is yet to come into its own as a tourist destination. And for it's sake, I hope it stays that way.
PS : Pictures are available here.
Here's a glimpse
6 comments:
There was a brilliant blue sea, half naked foreigners and the thing that struck u was that ppl were following traffic rules !!!
SUUUUUUMMMOOOO !!!!
what have they done to u??
@ Riaan : Traffic <---> Cars
Duh!!!
The last time i came here, I couldnt see the comments link!!
Beautiful snaps man..I wanna go there..a honeymoon wouldnt be a bad idea :-D
Now if i can jst find a bride..
@ Everyman : Hmm...so u have finally zeroed in on the destination. Now wait for the bride!!! Or u cud turn to Mommy to find one 4 u!!!
Hi Sumo!
I was actually planning a trip to Andaman, and google lead me to your blog.
Since you have been thr, can you suggest a itinerary ?
for a couple, young recently married couple :)
Thanks
@ Rainbow Warrior: Well, I had gone there using the package tour offered by ANIIDCO, which is a public sector organisation there. They operate a resort in Port Blair called Megapode Nest. You can google for their address. Unfortunately, I am not able to locate the address at this point of time. When I went there in April 2007, the daily rate for a couple was Rs. 3000 per day, incl. breakfast, lunch, dinner and all and I do mean ALL sightseeing entry tickets and boat tickets which were a part of the package. The one good thing was there were no hidden costs. Road transportation provided was a private Maruti van. A must visit is Havelock Island, where ANIIDCO has a tie-up with Dolphin resort. Here the rate was Rs. 3500 per day for a couple, again all inclusive of things in the package. Since you are newly married I would assume you want some place far away from the crowds. I suggest you budget more days for Havelock Island. The hotels I suggested are not posh but clean medium level hotels. For something like a posh 5 star, I think there is a Sinclairs in Port Blair and some good resort on Radhanagari Beach (Havelock) whose name I cant recall. I didnt explore North and Middle Andaman so for information on that, you will have to look elsewhere.
I hope this is useful. Do contact me if you need any other information.
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